Volkswagen is planning extra weekend shifts at its main plant in Wolfsburg this summer as demand for combustion engine vehicles remains strong. While production at the company’s electric vehicle plants has recently faced cutbacks, the Wolfsburg factory is set to increase output in the coming months.
According to a company spokesperson, Volkswagen has scheduled additional shifts on eight weekends across May, June, and July. In the assembly line alone, 16 extra shifts are planned, with more to be added in the body and paint shops. These adjustments were confirmed in an internal memo cited by German news agency dpa, which referred to the move as a response to the plant’s “current production program.”
The Wolfsburg facility exclusively manufactures combustion engine models, which continue to see robust demand. Last year, the plant reported higher production volumes compared to previous years of slower output, even as other sites—especially those focused on electric vehicles—were forced to reduce or cancel shifts.
Volkswagen has been facing a broader crisis in recent years, particularly in transitioning toward electric mobility. However, signs of recovery have emerged. Sales for the brand picked up at the start of 2025, with the core Volkswagen brand delivering about five percent more vehicles in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.
Targeting 600,000 Vehicles in 2025
Back in December, Volkswagen and the IG Metall union agreed on a wide-ranging cost-cutting plan that includes job reductions and efforts to streamline production. As part of that plan, the company aims to cut 35,000 of its 130,000 jobs in Germany by 2030. Furthermore, Wolfsburg’s technical production capacity, previously over 900,000 vehicles annually, is set to be reduced to under 600,000 units.
Part of the restructuring includes moving Golf production from Wolfsburg to Mexico, while bringing in new electric vehicle models from the company’s Zwickau plant as a trade-off.
Despite being the brand’s historic production hub, the Wolfsburg factory has not operated at full capacity for years. In 2023, it produced 523,000 vehicles—up slightly from under 500,000 the year before. Volkswagen now expects to build up to 600,000 vehicles at the plant this year, according to previous internal estimates.
The Wolfsburg site primarily serves the European market, with limited exports to China or the United States. Key models produced at the plant include the Golf, Tiguan, Touran, and Tayron. Among them, the Tiguan continues to hold its position as Volkswagen’s top-selling model globally.
